Thank you BMW

That 30 minute video likes the form and function of the R18B, but they come down hard on the fact that BMW did not put a counter balancer on the bike for those 3k+ rpm moments.
 
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I watched that video when I was on the fence between the HD Street Glide ST and the R18 B FE; it just goes to show how far off these shoot outs can be and lack objectivity, depending on who is providing the information... i.e. HD Street Glide ST retailed for $32k + $2k for setup and such and 8% financing.. R18 B FE retailed for $27k and walked out of the dealership $24.5k at 0.9% financing.

I actually watched the video again in order to compare my own real world experience vs the Cycle World influencer's; I recommend watching for anyone on a R18 TC or B model..
 
Scott Semone said:
I watched that video when I was on the fence between the HD Street Glide ST and the R18 B FE; it just goes to show how far off these shoot outs can be and lack objectivity, depending on who is providing the information... i.e. HD Street Glide ST retailed for $32k + $2k for setup and such and 8% financing.. R18 B FE retailed for $27k and walked out of the dealership $24.5k at 0.9% financing.

I actually watched the video again in order to compare my own real world experience vs the Cycle World influencer's; I recommend watching for anyone on a R18 TC or B model..
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FK HD...overpriced...seller's market...everyone has them....and they're really not that great. They're are tons of near mint used ones for sale under 10k with really low mileage. They all look alike. It's hard to tell a new 30+k Electra Glide apart from a 2005 mint 8k used one. You'd have to be nutz to buy a brand new one...
 
I agree HD prices are astronomical. I bought a new medium equipped Chevy Colorado for just under the price of a street glide special.
 
R12C-R18TC said:
I agree HD prices are astronomical. I bought a new medium equipped Chevy Colorado for just under the price of a street glide special.
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I should be more specific...It's really the overt hype that I dislike. Harley makes cool bikes...no doubt, but my god, give it a rest, they're are plenty of other great bikes out there. I guess it's the monkey see/do paradigm..that makes me laugh. Motorcycling, to me anyway, represented freedom... being an individual...
 
The Harley road glide for the most part is probably their biggest bread maker right now.. riding around in Florida it's the only real model I see. Can drop all kinds of sh*t on it with the aftermarket selection so it's popular.

I wouldn't put Harley in a shootout vs other brands because it's kind of its own category. But for the price, It's either be retired and buy em outright, or finance then trade in once the wife gives birth.
 
I was between the Street Glide ST and Road Glide ST as my next bike, prior to picking up the R18 B; I've rented both models out West a few years ago and really enjoyed the comfort.

It really came down to money for me, I felt like I was getting a much better and well equipped bike for about $10k less than if I went with either of the two HD models mentioned above.

I was coming off of a 2008 GS Adventure with just shy of 100k miles on it, which has been very reliable to me over the years with zero problems - so staying with the BMW brand wasn't a huge leap for me.

I wish the CycleWorld comparison included the buffeting or wind protection topic; it would be interesting to hear those results - I don't seem to be experiencing the same issues as others with the stock windshield; I only recently added the TC Lower Leg Wind Protection and the fairing Winglets to my B Model which definitely makes a difference.
 
Scott Semone said:
I was between the Street Glide ST and Road Glide ST as my next bike, prior to picking up the R18 B; I've rented both models out West a few years ago and really enjoyed the comfort.

It really came down to money for me, I felt like I was getting a much better and well equipped bike for about $10k less than if I went with either of the two HD models mentioned above.

I was coming off of a 2008 GS Adventure with just shy of 100k miles on it, which has been very reliable to me over the years with zero problems - so staying with the BMW brand wasn't a huge leap for me.

I wish the CycleWorld comparison included the buffeting or wind protection topic; it would be interesting to hear those results - I don't seem to be experiencing the same issues as others with the stock windshield; I only recently added the TC Lower Leg Wind Protection and the fairing Winglets to my B Model which definitely makes a difference.
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I sincerely doubt you'd get 100k trouble free miles out of a Harley...
 
No bike will give you 100k trouble free miles. Something will give. The difference comes down to how well you maintain your machine and how much it cost to sort out the problem it gave you. Cycleworld isn't going to cover wind protection I think.. too many variables. Even the big touring bikes have higher wind screens.

The point of contention is Harley will plow you for an overpriced bike while BMW will say up front "this is the price, your APR, and monthly" and you can't even get that from a Harley without being netted by their sales teams and spam called or emailed.
 
Folo said:
No bike will give you 100k trouble free miles. Something will give. The difference comes down to how well you maintain your machine and how much it cost to sort out the problem it gave you. Cycleworld isn't going to cover wind protection I think.. too many variables. Even the big touring bikes have higher wind screens.

The point of contention is Harley will plow you for an overpriced bike while BMW will say up front "this is the price, your APR, and monthly" and you can't even get that from a Harley without being netted by their sales teams and spam called or emailed.
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Hmm...someone just reported *nearly* 100k, trouble free miles..with his BMW ..hence why he bought the 18 over the HD, plus of course, pricing.
 
Adrian R said:
Hmm...someone just reported *nearly* 100k, trouble free miles..with his BMW ..hence why he bought the 18 over the HD, plus of course, pricing.
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Well yeah that's where the maintenance will come in. I am just wary of these things. A friend of mine had his 1250 GS (not even 200 miles in) suffer a "OEM reported ECU fault" that had him return to the dealer in limp mode.

Naturally, you want to flip everyone's desk after they finished lathering you in the GSs reputation as you signed the paperwork but at the very least you had limp mode to carry you back to the dealer... Hopefully that'll be the end of his worries for the next 99, 800 miles?
 
Scott Semone said:
I was between the Street Glide ST and Road Glide ST as my next bike, prior to picking up the R18 B; I've rented both models out West a few years ago and really enjoyed the comfort.

It really came down to money for me, I felt like I was getting a much better and well equipped bike for about $10k less than if I went with either of the two HD models mentioned above.

I was coming off of a 2008 GS Adventure with just shy of 100k miles on it, which has been very reliable to me over the years with zero problems - so staying with the BMW brand wasn't a huge leap for me.

I wish the CycleWorld comparison included the buffeting or wind protection topic; it would be interesting to hear those results - I don't seem to be experiencing the same issues as others with the stock windshield; I only recently added the TC Lower Leg Wind Protection and the fairing Winglets to my B Model which definitely makes a difference.
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Was in same boat. Wanted a softail Heritage but the prices were just too high to justify. Found a very low miles used R18C for 10k less than the Harley was new and have been pretty happy with it so far. The BMW looks better IMO as well. Never liked the dual pipes on same side making that saddle bag having to be smaller to accommodate. The R18 has a very symmetrical look which pleases me for some reason.
 
Folo said:
Well yeah that's where the maintenance will come in. I am just wary of these things. A friend of mine had his 1250 GS (not even 200 miles in) suffer a "OEM reported ECU fault" that had him return to the dealer in limp mode.

Naturally, you want to flip everyone's desk after they finished lathering you in the GSs reputation as you signed the paperwork but at the very least you had limp mode to carry you back to the dealer... Hopefully that'll be the end of his worries for the next 99, 800 miles?
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Probably. Nothing is perfect of course, and worrying about future events that have not really given you a reason to is just senseless paranoia. I just hope this new R18 of mine will be as reliable as my Hondas have been over the many years.
 
I've done the comparison and HD is a lot more expensive in several ways. Starting off with a manufacturer surcharge on all bikes. Then there are options that should be standard, like ABS. Some models it isn't, let alone RDRS, which should be standard. Then there's the whole dealer experience. Where I live HD dealers are pretty much thieves. You'd be lucky to get out of the dealership in 2 hours if you bought one and there would be a lot of tacked on fees and hidden costs, like crazy percentage rates and dealer convenience fees. I think Zeitz is making a mistake with premiumization. It's not a Rolex watch or a Rolls Royce. Who wants to go through that process and get their pockets turned inside out? Not me. The non-HD dealers in my area aren't much better either. No mom and pops, all chain of some sort. If I was going to buy another BMW, I'd go to Ironhorse. They are still independent AFAIK.
 
Folo said:
Well yeah that's where the maintenance will come in. I am just wary of these things. A friend of mine had his 1250 GS (not even 200 miles in) suffer a "OEM reported ECU fault" that had him return to the dealer in limp mode.

Naturally, you want to flip everyone's desk after they finished lathering you in the GSs reputation as you signed the paperwork but at the very least you had limp mode to carry you back to the dealer... Hopefully that'll be the end of his worries for the next 99, 800 miles?
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If there's an ECM issue, it happens and it's not a hard fix and better in warranty. BMW does some stupid things that everyone has figured out already and it's not the high tech stuff. What I have found disappointing is the schizophrenic nature of how they support customers. I've seen an instance where they refused to cover a K1600 fuel pump failure only 8 months old because the owner didn't ride it enough(the dealer went to bat and it took a month to get BMW to cover it) and then there are times they cover stuff that recent went out of warranty for the owner.
Now, if you want to see stupid design and production choices, try being dead in the water because the throttle body pulleys broke. It happens more often than you think with 2005-2013 boxers. Or fuel strips. Or lifetime fill final drives. Or water pumps that leak from the dealership floor. I think they've upped their game since that stuff, so we'll see, but I have to wonder who is running the show or was.
 
Folo said:
Well yeah that's where the maintenance will come in. I am just wary of these things. A friend of mine had his 1250 GS (not even 200 miles in) suffer a "OEM reported ECU fault" that had him return to the dealer in limp mode.

Naturally, you want to flip everyone's desk after they finished lathering you in the GSs reputation as you signed the paperwork but at the very least you had limp mode to carry you back to the dealer... Hopefully that'll be the end of his worries for the next 99, 800 miles?
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I’ve owned 8 BMWs since 1997 & still own 4 of them. My oldest is a 1972 model, while my ‘21 R18 Classic is the newest. In all those bikes & years of riding them, I had one issue which was resolved under warranty with the fuel strip on a 2007 R1200R always reading as full (never trust fuel gauges on bikes). The other issue was on my 1972 R75/5 where the wiring harness finally rubbed thru & shorted out on the frame 4 years ago. After nearly 50 years of service, I’m OK with that. My 2012 R1200GSA is still going strong & I’ll be using it for a Backcountry Discovery Route this summer.

Keeping up with maintenance, BMWs are pretty bulletproof. Most issues I’ve heard of are with electronics (like my fuel strip). I bought my 2012 GSA since the next year the water cooled boxers were coming out & I didn’t want the added complexity on a boxer motor. BMW did make a mistake claiming the final drive was lifetime oil on the oil cooled bikes & some final drives blew up. I replace the fluid on mine every 12K and have no issues & it‘s not a babied street-only GS.

Am I exceptionally lucky? If it had been 1 or 2 bikes, I might be more likely to say yes, but with 8 bikes over 25 years I’ve personally owned and a few hundred across riding buddies, I’ve seen good experiences with BMW bikes.

I don’t like their new policy on service manuals and the expensive corporate styling they force on dealers shut a lot of smaller shops down and likely contributes to higher service rates. They aren’t a perfect company by any measure, but my experience overall is quite positive, which is why I keep buying them.
 
nielsm said:
I’ve owned 8 BMWs since 1997 & still own 4 of them. My oldest is a 1972 model, while my ‘21 R18 Classic is the newest. In all those bikes & years of riding them, I had one issue which was resolved under warranty with the fuel strip on a 2007 R1200R always reading as full (never trust fuel gauges on bikes). The other issue was on my 1972 R75/5 where the wiring harness finally rubbed thru & shorted out on the frame 4 years ago. After nearly 50 years of service, I’m OK with that. My 2012 R1200GSA is still going strong & I’ll be using it for a Backcountry Discovery Route this summer.

Keeping up with maintenance, BMWs are pretty bulletproof. Most issues I’ve heard of are with electronics (like my fuel strip). I bought my 2012 GSA since the next year the water cooled boxers were coming out & I didn’t want the added complexity on a boxer motor. BMW did make a mistake claiming the final drive was lifetime oil on the oil cooled bikes & some final drives blew up. I replace the fluid on mine every 12K and have no issues & it‘s not a babied street-only GS.

Am I exceptionally lucky? If it had been 1 or 2 bikes, I might be more likely to say yes, but with 8 bikes over 25 years I’ve personally owned and a few hundred across riding buddies, I’ve seen good experiences with BMW bikes.

I don’t like their new policy on service manuals and the expensive corporate styling they force on dealers shut a lot of smaller shops down and likely contributes to higher service rates. They aren’t a perfect company by any measure, but my experience overall is quite positive, which is why I keep buying them.
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I'll give you a for instance: Every member of AZ Beemers that bought a K1600 when they came out had at least 1 water pump failure. One guy had 4 and bought a spare for trips as some dealers had issues getting them. My peeve with my RT is the throttle body pulleys. There are a few threads on the BMW Sport Touring forum on it. A lot of us put in complaints to the NHTSA about and some got calls from them, but nothing came of it. Those bikes are old now, but it's a hell of a way to cheap out. As far as the manuals go, they don't want us working on our own machines and probably would like us to trade up every 3-4 years. I know BMW cars are going to a subscription service on options. Want heated seats? Pay a monthly fee. That way they just build all the cars the same and have revenue continuously for options instead of pay once. I am surprised HD hasn't figured that one out. We only have one independent BMW shop in AZ. The others are chain types with high rent and everything that goes a long with it.
 
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